Photographer Captures Worlds in a Drop of Water

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Markus Reugels can capture the world in a drop of water, not to
mention Venus, Mars and the moon. Reugels is a floor installer
and hobbyist photographer in Marktsteinach, Germany, but "hobby"
doesn't begin to convey the beauty and precision of his
photographs of images reflected in tiny, perfect globes of water.

LiveScience caught up with Reugels via email to find out how he
creates his photographs and why he likes working with liquids.

LiveScience: These photographs are amazing. How did you
get into photography, and why did you start working with water
droplets?

Reugels: I started photography about three years ago. At the
beginning, I only wanted to take good pictures for the
family album. But with time, it grew into a hobby. I learned
everything I know by myself, so I read [posts] in many photo
communities. In this way, found a thread about water-drop
photography. The pictures inspired me to test it, but it was so
fascinating for me that I went further and further.

How do you create the refraction images?

This is basically very simple. I place a picture behind the
falling drop, and in the drop the picture will be shown as
the refraction. You must place the picture upside down,
because the refractions are mirrored. The hardest part is to
set the light well. Poor light can destroy the
picture. [ See
Reugels' water-drop photos ]

The goal is to bring depth into the drop, so that the picture is
not flat.

How much time do you estimate it takes to create a single
perfect refraction shot? How many shots fail for every one
that succeeds?

It can take one hour to get the right settings, and then to
adjust the timing for the perfect shape and position of the
picture. Sometimes I must take over 100 pictures to get the
one perfect shot ­— but I always have something I want to
improve, so the pictures are only nearly perfect!

You also create beautiful images with bubbles, jets and
droplets of water by themselves. How do you make these
images?

These are all different techniques of water-drop shots. The basic
"Drop on Drop" pictures are made with two drops. The first
drop falls into the tray and forms a crater, then a crown,
and at last a pillar. On the pillar, the second drop must be
timed exactly to create shapes that look like mushrooms, hats or
flying discs.

Last year, I found a way to produce jumping spouts. There is a
special technique to make splashes about 10 to 15 centimeters
high (4 to 5.5 inches). I didn't want to tell how, but when you
show good results, other people will make them, too. After a
time, some people have come to know my secret and I have released
it. Since this, people around the world make such "XXL
splashes."

The bubbles are very hard to reproduce. The first drop must be
very big so that the impact of the drop will form a bubble, and
through the bubble goes a pillar. [ The
Science of Bursting Bubbles ]

Tell me about your 'Shoot 'Em Up' series, which involves
shooting pellets through droplets of water. It looks like quite
the mix of fire and water.

The Shoot 'Em Up Series is more a technical gamble. It's very
hard to get the action of a pellet shot and the silence of
the water drop under one hat. The picture must be well
balanced.

It's more of a technical hurdle to realize these pictures. But in
two or three pictures I have handled the composition very well,
so I'm always trying to make some new ones!

You also have a series of photographs called "Cream
Flow." How are these made?

These pictures are very easy to make. I use only a little
aquarium and a pipette to make such shots. When you drop a
single droplet of milk or cream into the water, it sinks in
such shapes. Here, you can play with lots of things, more
drops, colored milk and cream, etc. You must only push the
trigger and set the light. The pictures are always great.

What is it that you enjoy about photography, and
especially this type of photography?

The most impressive thing about high-speed photography is the
fact that you don't know what you're going to get. Every
time creates a different result, even if you use the same
settings as the last series. There are so many factors that
will influence the result. I'm always amazed by some of the
pictures.

And the best thing behind such photos is to show that a world
that we can't see with the eyes, such as moments in a
life of a water drop, can be so beautiful. It's
impressive!

Some people think such pictures are only possible with a
technical timing device. That's not the whole truth. It's
only the key to realize such shots. I know many people with the
same or better gear, and they make poor pictures. When you
have tried to make such pictures on your own, you understand the
effort and patience behind the picture.

But I need a balance for this very technical photography, so I
love to make photos with old manual lenses. Here you must
have time to set the aperture, the focus and settings on the
camera. This is pure photography, and the old lenses make really
good pictures.

What other techniques would you like to experiment
with?

Maybe in the future I will go deeper into portrait photography
and wedding photography, but I don't know. The most
important thing is to have fun with the camera. I don't know
how long I will go with
the drops, but at this time, I have lots of fire for this
passion.